The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors that have terminal position assurance devices or members to ensure that electrical terminals are properly loaded and secured within connector housings.
Electrical connectors typically include electrical terminals that are held within an insulative housing. The electrical terminals have to be properly positioned or seated within the housing in order to successfully mate to a corresponding electrical contact of a mating connector. If one or more of the terminals are not properly positioned, the connector may not operate as intended when mated to the mating connector. Once a malfunction is detected, it may be difficult to determine which of the terminals is at fault due to the number of terminals in the housing and poor accessibility of the terminals within the housing. Another concern with electrical connectors is retention of the terminals. For example, some terminals are retained within a cavity of the housing via small retention features, such as latches, that extend between the terminal and the housing within the cavity. However, the retention features may not be sufficiently robust to withstand pulling forces exerted on cables attached to the terminals, causing the retention features to fail and allowing the terminals to be pulled out of position.
A need remains for an electrical connector having an insertable device or member that robustly secures the terminals in the cavities of the housing and ensures that the terminals are properly positioned in the housing prior to mating the connector to a complementary mating connector.